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When married couples get divorced, then the court may grant one of the former spouses with alimony. Alimony or spousal support is a monthly payment given by one spouse to the other that is paid after the divorce settles. It could be based on a decision made by the court or an agreement that is made between the two couples. The aim of this payment is to correct any unfair economic consequences that are affected by the divorce. By having spousal support, it provides the lower earning or the non-earning spouse with a continuous income. To find out more about the basics of alimony, read on. We will discuss what you need to know about it and break it down for you.

Trends

Spousal support has been in the law for about a little over than a century. During the past, alimony is usually awarded by the breadwinning former husbands to provide payments for their homemaking former wives. As times have changed, so does has the culture. Women are no longer viewed as less dependent. This is mainly because currently, most marriages involve two wage earners. As times evolved, the old tradition of the women as the one receiving and the men paying has slowly dissolved. And now, payments to former husbands to former wives are on the rise.

Calculation

In determining how much you would get, there is no exact simple formula. Nevertheless, you can calculate alimony online to get an idea of how much you can get. There are also factors that will influence the amount of spousal support payments awarded. These factors include the duration of their marriage, their standard of living, child support considerations, the capacity to earn, the income, and the property of each spouse. The physical condition, age, financial condition, and emotional state of former spouses are also counted. Another important thing they put into consideration is the capability of the paying spouse to support both the recipient and also themselves.

Payments

The payer spouse is the one who has a better earning capacity compared to the other. Spousal support is considered rehabilitative. Unless there is an agreed termination date by the court on the divorce hearing, it is only necessary to pay the amount agreed upon until the other spouse becomes self-supporting. For some alimonies, the awards may also end when the receiving end decides to remarry. Death of one of the former spouse or both of them are also factors that might terminate the spousal support paying agreement